Starving
by Curlyyo
Summary: A series of drabbles about Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders- how they met, pivotal moments in their life, and tender reunions. After watching Legends of Tomorrow, I was endlessly fascinated with their story. These two people met lifetimes ago and were drawn to each other, over and over again, only to be ripped apart later. Lemons. Angst. Brief Moments in time.
1. A Thousand Years

Carter Hall was not a patient man.

Life as the creative director for a Fortune 500 company had been boring- mundane and empty. With little effort he had been wildly successful, easily earning promotion after promotion until he was sitting in his own gorgeous office overlooking the city below him. With each success he wondered why he didn't feel proud, why he didn't feel a sense of achievement, why every new office left him feeling more and more alone.

To compound on his luck, his soft green eyes and square jaw had attracted countless women. Each supple body leaving a trail of their undergarments scattered around his loft, eager to have a reunion fling whenever he asked. He never did- it was an unspoken agreement he had with himself. One night, one chance. The women were beautiful, willing, and available but the thought of bedding them twice left him shivering with disgust.

His days were rapidly become monotonous. Each morning, he would get up and go for a six mile run around the city- forcing his feet to move him faster, careening recklessly around every corner, and single-mindedly weaving through the endless throng of people. His eyes would constantly scan the crowd, searching for something or some _one_ who would spark his interest.

No one ever had.

His days dragged on, seeming endless, until he felt himself slowly going mad.

It was then that he started dreaming of her.

Soft chocolate curls and ochre eyes haunted his sleep, along with a faint smell of lavender and hibiscus that made him instantly harden. His dreams were filled with smooth skin, soft pants against his neck, and lips dragging along his chest. Other times he would dream of the tickle of feathers against his naked skin and the wet suction of a sweet mouth on his ear. He would wake up, sheets tangled around him, and sweat pouring down his body. The desire was by far the worst part.

Morning after morning, he would stroke himself, eyes clenched tightly- replaying the vivid memories of his dreams. His breath would escape him in harsh pants, hands stroking faster and gripping more tightly until his release provided him with temporary relief.

His irritability at work began to increase tenfold. His soul seemed restless and the confines of his everyday life were almost too suffocating to bear.

It was on one particularly restless evening, that he saw it. He had fled from his office early, desperate to get home so that he could dream of his mystery woman when he passed by a local pawn shop. He had never paid much mind to it until a slight shimmer caught the corner of his eye. Nestled in a ring box was a 1940's art deco ring- an ornately designed band with a modest but clear diamond nestled in its velvet case. Stopping dead in his tracks, he stared at it, his heart pounding a ferocious rhythm in his chest until unknowingly he had entered the shop. Without stopping to consider what he was doing, he had barked a request to the owner to bring him the ring and that he would pay cash for it. After an awkward exchange, Carter had walked out of the shop with the ring tucked in his pocket snuggly.

Later that evening, sitting in his leather recliner and sipping on a glass of scotch, he had studied the ring. He fit the ring on the tip of his finger and began rubbing on his temple, a sudden headache working its way up his neck.

" _Carter, it's beautiful. But you know that I don't need that…all I've ever needed is you. You home safe and sound and with me. With…us." She took his hand in hers and brought it to her flat stomach._

" _No! Are you telling me…are you telling me, we're pregnant?"_

" _Yes! I am. Now you have even more of a reason to come back to me," full pouty lips slid back to reveal a dazzling smile. She gripped the lapels of his army uniform with an easy smile, elation coloring her tone._

" _Kendra, I will always come back to you. Through eternity. Forever."_

Gasping, he hurriedly sat the ring on the table and choked on a surprised cough. _Kendra_. The name was familiar and exhilarating to think about. Setting his glass of scotch down, he continued to rub at his temple, anxiously considering the fact that he might have actually gone crazy. Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the second wave of pulsing anguish that his head was causing.

 _His hands worked their way down her back, pulling her lithe body closer to his. Their motions were steady, as if they had done this dance a million times before. Moving his hands from her back to her hips, he began to guide her movements, causing her to take him deeper. His hips stuttered as his need roared the surface, hurtling him towards a precipice he wasn't ready to cross yet. Slowly, his lips trailed a fiery path down the column of her neck while hers skimmed the shell of his ear._

" _Carter, please…I need…"_

" _What do you need, Kendra? Tell me. You know I want to make you feel good."_

 _Her whimpers and soft cries caused him to grin and he guided her chin down to press a hungry kiss against her lips. His fingers eagerly skimmed her dusky nipples, trailing down her body until they skimmed where the two of them were joined._

 _Kendra cried out now, her bucks against his body growing desperate and clumsy. His fingers expertly circled her clit, causing her body to tighten around him beautifully. Moving his hand away, he laughed breathily, desperate to make her release as explosive as possible._

" _Not yet, Chay-ara. We need to make this last."_

" _Carter…please. I need to come."_

 _Unable to ignore her request, Carter rolled them so that he could more easily leverage the situation. With her underneath him, he began to move with deep thrusts that caused her to cry out. His fingers once again slid down her body and he began rubbing excruciatingly light touches over her. Suddenly, Kendra grabbed the back of his head and began kissing him passionately, her tongue mimicking the rhythm of his cock inside of her. Their clashing teeth and synchronous bucking was too much for Carter to bear._

 _Thrusting deeply, he began to press down on her clit with more pressure, groaning at the feel of her velvet walls sucking him in even deeper. Angling up, he thrust one more time, remembering exactly where that rough, spongy spot inside of her was. Like a bomb, she exploded around him. Her walls collapsed onto his cock, sucking him and milking him until he came in deep spurts inside of her._

 _Falling over next to her, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her, his lips gently pressing against her plump, rosy lips._

" _Carter, thank you for coming back to me. I was worried that I would never find you in this lifetime."_

" _Through eternity, Kendra. I will always wait for you. I will always find you."_

Carter shot off of the couch, his breath coming out in agonized pants. _Kendra_. Memory after memory began to slice through his mind, reminding him of who he was and who he had been.

Who _Kendra_ had been.

Memories of a small wedding ceremony in a church with stained glass windows. Memories of torrid hallway encounters. Memories of simply holding her while they slept. Memories of staring into her eyes and seeing unconditional love reflected back at him. Memories of her smirk, of her sass, of her laughter. Memories of her giving birth to a child- her face flushed and filled with pride. Memories of seeing her for the first time. Memories of kissing her for the first time. Memories of making love in each of their lifetimes.

The memories piled upon each other, creating a thick blanket of security in his soul.

He was Prince Khufu of the Middle Kingdom. His love was Chay-ara, Priestess of the Temple of Horus. They were forbidden lovers- tied together in this lifetime and 206 lifetimes before it. They wandered this Earth, drawn to each other like moths to a flame. He was a warrior- and his beautiful priestess was one as well.

Suddenly, a dark cloud passed over his memory. Vandal Savage.

If he was remembering who he was, then Savage would be able to sense that he was awakening. It was a cruel irony that from the moment he remembered her, a countdown had begun, whittling away at the time that they would have together.

Anger ripped through him- his wings exploding out of his back. His glass of scotch clattered to the floor- losing its precarious place on the coffee table because of his new winged appendages. Pacing, Carter tried to remember how to find her.

Something drew them together in every lifetime. Something always let him know where to find her.

Agony caused him to kneel and clutch his head, an agonized groan escaping his lips.

" _Chay-ara, my love, why does it always come to this? Why must you continue to choose him? He is not worthy of you," Vandal Savage held Kendra by the throat. Her bare feet were skimming the surface of the floor, trying to find purchase, as he strangled the life out of her. The kitchen window was open, the curtains draw to let the gorgeous day inside- giving him the perfect view of Savage killing his wife._

 _Carter watched them from his spot on the porch. Savage had surprised him, knocking him unconscious and tying him to the sturdy columns of their porch. The gag in his mouth was foul, causing bile to rise up in his throat. Carter struggled wildly against his restraints, unable to get himself free. He watched, hope dancing in his chest as Kendra managed to get free- grabbing the kitchen knife from the counter and shoving it in Savage's arm. Carter felt his body relax, praying that she would run rather than fight. Too soon, he realized that his hopes would be worthless. Deep within the bowels of the house, Carter could hear screaming. His heart accelerated unnaturally, his breath catching in his chest as he prayed to Horus that Kendra would get away. His prayers went unanswered though, as Savage used Kendra's head to break through one of the glass windows in their tiny foyer. Savage had then dragged Kendra out of their homestead by her hair, grinning at her failed attempts of getting away. Turning to Carter, he gestured at Kendra. It was suddenly very clear- Vandal was forcing him to watch as the breath was slowly choked out of his soulmate._

" _Khufu is not able to protect you, Chay-ara. I could, if you would only choose me. But you refuse to see reason. You refuse to see that I was chosen for you by the Gods. Because you won't listen, I will have to punish you. Your lover will be forced to watch."_

 _Kendra struggled wildly against Savage, trying to pry his fingers off of her throat, her wings flapping madly. Garbled protests were rising from her throat as she made eye contact with him. Behind his back, he had been busy trying to dislocate his thumb so he could get out of his restraints. The look of tormented acceptance on her face had his breath stuttering to a halt. Horrible awareness prickled down his spine the moment he realized that Kendra was going to die with him tied to the railings of their porch. There was no getting away this time._

" _I broke his wings, Chay-ara. When I am done with you, I plan to rip him limb from limb for touching you. Perhaps I should make you watch before I kill you?"_

 _Fear slid across Kendra's face as her eyes darted to Carter's- panic and love warring on her expressive face. Renewed zeal coursed through him as he fought against his restraints, his bones protesting as he tried to yank his shoulder out of socket to free his arms. Inside, his heart was shattering like glass._

 _Carter watched as Kendra slowly stopped struggling, her movements becoming sluggish and eventually stopping altogether. Her lips, tinted blue, parted gently, leaving him completely empty. Her essence began to shimmer within her- fleeing from her lifeless corpse into Vandal's mouth._

 _Victorious, Savage had turned to Carter and beamed. Tossing Kendra's body to the side, he knelt down to Carter and grinned._

" _I will enjoy killing you with your lover's life essence, Khufu. I will enjoy it very much."_

Carter roared. Centuries of agony and bitter rage filled him with an intolerable need to find Kendra and protect her from Vandal Savage.

 _This time would be different._ This time he would keep her safe.

They just needed to be together.

" _Carter, do you think we're selfish?"_

 _Carter rolled over from his back to the side of his body to gaze down at the beautifully naked body of his wife. After a rigorous round of love making, they had collapsed, dozing on and off until thin fingers of sunlight snaked through the blinds. His fingers, unable to resist, began tracing patterns on her décolleté. Watching her face carefully, he pondered her question. Lately Kendra had been feeling doubtful about the possibility of their happiness together- growing more and more worried that Savage was after them and their time would, once again, be cut short._

" _Selfish, my love?"_

 _Kendra sighed, the weight of the entire world heaving out in one uneasy breath. Carter watched as her top teeth began to worry her plump bottom lip- a sure sign that she was filled with nervous tension._

" _Selfish. Don't you think we should just stop being together? Spend our days hiding from Savage until Horus calls us home?"_

 _Carter sucked in a harsh breath, his fingers stopping their absentminded tracing of her skin. The thought of not meeting Kendra in this life- of purposefully not finding her in the next life had never occurred to him. In fact, the thought seemed monstrous. Her warmth, her fiery passion, her kind soul were the perfect complement to his rough edges. They were whole people on their own, but together, they were able to find complete happiness._

 _Shifting himself so that his naked body was hovering over hers, their hips pressing tightly together, he smoothed the hair off of her face. Tenderly, his finger freed her bottom lip from her teeth and kissed her gently. His hand came to cup the side of her face, grinning when she pressed her cheek against his palm._

" _Have I ever told you about the first moment that I saw you?"_

 _Kendra's deep brown eyes darted up at him, a small smile playing on her lips, "In this life?"_

" _No…in our first one," Carter, never one for being overly affectionate, began to nuzzle her face._

 _Kendra groaned, her hands running up the expanse of his back before landing on his shoulders. Shaking her head she said, "No, I don't believe you have."_

" _My father had sent me on an errand to the temple. I was trying to find the High Priestess but I couldn't. I wandered through the temple, irritable and anxious, when I heard singing. I rounded the corner and saw you. You had just finished participating in a ritual for Horus and were singing to yourself as you put the objects away. Your voice was so clear and sure- it nearly took my breath away. Then, you turned. Your hair was tousled and the grin you wore was so pure. Everything about you was bright as the Sun. I knew then that I had to know you that I had to speak to you."_

 _Kendra watched him for a moment, her fingers stopping their assault on his hair, and cocked her head, "I don't remember seeing you in the Temple. We met in the palace."_

" _It took me several days to work up the nerve to speak to you. I nearly drove my father crazy asking when the Priestesses could come to the palace."_

 _Kendra smiled softly, her body leaning into Carter's, "I have never regretted loving you, Carter. Not in this lifetime or any of our previous ones."_

" _Would you deny me the pleasure of loving you in our next life times? Of seeing you for the first time in a million other life times? Of kissing your mouth for the first time? Of making love to you for all of eternity? Of marrying you?"_

 _Kendra looked away, her eyes filling with tears, "I have a feeling. I know that he is coming for us."_

 _Carter cupped Kendra's chin gently and tilted her face towards him, "Then let him come. We will fight him together. If we do not succeed, I would rather have a thousand half-lives with you than a whole life with anyone else. You are my love. I will never leave you. I will always find you. You could be a whole world away and my heart would still lead me to you."_

 _Tears began to slide down Kendra's face, her hand batting them away. Her hair was fashionably short in this lifetime- her mussed curls framed her face while she tried to look away from him. For a moment, Carter felt an atypical moment of panic blossoming in his chest. Was Kendra planning to leave him? Was she planning to avoid him in their future lifetimes?_

 _Carter stopped hovering above her and wrapped his arms around Kendra's shaking frame. Their lifetimes together came at a heavy price- but it had always been one that they were willing to pay. His heart twisted in his chest at the thought of never holding the beautiful woman in his arms again._

" _I will do what you ask of me, Kendra. If you wish to leave me, I will do my best not to follow," his own voice sounded uncharacteristically hollow- devoid of emotion and hope._

" _I want to live my life with you, Carter. I want to live each life time with you and be happy. I want to live without him chasing us. I can't…I can't watch you die again. I don't want to wait for you or come back to you. I want to live. I need to live. I need to love you without looking over my shoulder."_

 _Carter pressed his lips against Kendra's forehead, desolation weighing upon him heavily._

Carter collapsed onto his couch, panting heavily. Had they agreed to never find each other again? Anguish sliced through him like a knife. His life was purposeless. He was bored, lonely, and had no direction. He was wildly successful but his entire existence felt empty. It had always felt like a piece of himself was missing.

Now, he knew what the piece was. _Who_ it was.

Kendra.

How many lifetimes had it been since they were together? Was this just another in an endless string of lifetimes that they had hidden themselves from Vandal Savage, only to be slaughtered separately? Sweat poured down his face as his heart continued to pound powerfully in his chest. His head felt heavy and his thoughts were growing sluggish under the weight of each new memory that was fighting its way to the surface. Numbly, he pulled his body off of the couch and lurched to the bathroom- twisting the knob to hot as firmly as he could. Kendra's face swam in his vision, his entire lonely existence reimagined with her tall, lean curves next to him. Tearing the clothing off of his body, he stood, naked, and staring at himself in the mirror.

Nothing had changed in his many lifetimes. His frame was still solid, his eyes still the same hazy green they had always been. She would know him if she saw him. Curiously, his fingers touched the newly sprouted feathered appendages he had sprung.

" _Kendra, baby, you home?"_

 _A loud banging from their kitchen had his heart racing, causing him to quickly discard the bouquet of irises he had in his hands. Reaching behind their couch, he reached for his mace- his wings sprouting despite his mind urging him to stay calm. Creeping around the corner, Carter hugged his back to the wall, stepping quietly until he was at the mouth of the kitchen._

" _Kendra?"_

 _Another bang accompanied his question and finally, he leapt into the kitchen. Kendra, alarmed at his sudden appearance, yelped and dropped the mason jars filled with preserves on the kitchen floor. Pulling her headphones off of her ears, she stared at him, fear and annoyance warring across her features._

" _Carter, what the hell?"_

 _Stooping down, Carter began to pick up the glass that littered the floor- a smile tugging at his lips when he noticed that she had been making apricot preserves- his favorite._

" _I'm sorry, I tried to call for you and you didn't answer. I thought Savage was in the house with you."_

 _Eyeing his mace, Kendra nodded slowly, "I was listening to the demo tape your band made the other day. I wanted to surprise you with your favorite preserves. You know that sometimes the cabinet sticks unless you bang at it. I'm sorry that I scared you. "_

 _Carter blushed, before he continued to pick up the shards and toss them into a nearby trashcan. Embarrassment warred within him before he shrugged, "I guess, perhaps, I was a bit hasty."_

 _Kendra's melodious laugh filled his ears before she set down her tray and tiptoed over the glass to retrieve the mop and broom, "A little? Carter, since our last lifetime, you've been at DEFCON 5. You almost broke the arm of the stranger on the street who tried to give me a flower."_

 _Irritation coursed through him, "You were the one who told me that you wanted to stay separate during our lifetimes. I've been trying to prove to you that I can keep you safe. That being together is not a mistake."_

Stepping into the glass walls of his shower, he felt a surge of irrational anger. Why did he have to find her if she had decided so long ago that she didn't want him? Why should he disrupt his life to save some woman who obviously didn't want him in her life? Why should he care? His life might be empty but at least it was his. The heat from the water sank into his skin and soothed his aching muscles. His fingers worked nimbly as he massaged shampoo into his scalp, groaning as another memory assaulted him.

" _Carter, don't do this. I love you. Don't punish me for something that I said lifetimes ago."_

 _Carter stared at Kendra, his heart feeling a pang of regret as he watched tears slide down her bronze cheeks. His fingers gripped the corner of the counter harshly, as he tried to avoid her eyes._

" _Finding you is the greatest joy of my lifetimes. I might have doubts- I might be weak, but I have you to help me stay strong. I have you to help me be brave."_

 _Rain began to pelt the windows, highlighting the morose tone that continued to linger between them several days later. He felt his jaw tighten at her words, anger still coursing through is veins. He knew that he had no right to be angry- that she had done nothing wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to calm down._

 _Kendra's hair was in a tightly coiled bun, her clothing neat and tidy as if she were ready for work. Her face was devoid of make-up and her eyes were puffy- a sure sign that tears had been a constant visitor recently._

" _It's been days, Carter. Days since you've spoken to me. Days since you've held me or touched me. Please stop this. Please. Please do not torture me like this."_

 _Carter shifted, his eyes capturing how young they were in this life. They usually did not get lucky enough to find each other this young in life. They had found each other, fallen hopelessly in love, and moved into a crappy apartment on west 53_ _rd_ _street immediately- ignoring the disapproval of their parents, ignoring the bewildered looks of their friends who couldn't understand why they wanted to be tied down at nineteen._

" _It is my job to protect you. It's my job to keep you safe. I will not apologize for it," his voice was gruff, sandpapery with disuse._

" _I'm not asking you to, Carter. I've never asked you to. I was teasing you and you got so angry. How can you doubt me after all of this time? How can you doubt that I love you? I have died for you. I chased YOU in this lifetime. I was different then, Carter. I was scared because we had been brutally murdered the lifetime before! I watched Vandal Savage drink your blood and give immortality to his followers. I watched him desecrate your corpse! Then, he tortured me for days. Death was not quick. Still, I choose you in this life time. I choose you!"_

 _Brushing past him angrily, Kendra grabbed her coat off of the hook and shrugged it on, "I'm going to work. I might spend the night with my parents after that. Don't wait up."_

" _Kendra- wait, I-", but it was too late. The slam of the door reverberated through their apartment, the thud an angry echo of their fighting the past few days._

Guilt was palpable as he fought through that particular memory, the shower beginning to turn cold. Rinsing his body, Carter reflected on that memory. Carter had waited for her to come home- panic growing wild and gnarled as the night slid into morning. Kendra had not come home. In fact, she had been found dead on the street several days later. The cops had declared it a mugging but Carter had known differently. Vandal Savage had found her. Carter could remember the anguish that his past-self felt- the guilt at their last words to each other being bitter and angry. He remembered vowing to himself that he would never doubt her again- that their future lives would be filled with his devotion.

He had died a few days later.

Toweling his body off, Carter wondered whether he truly had options.

They were going to die. Over and over again for all eternity. What had previously felt like such a gift, now felt like a damning curse.

Padding through his condo, he dropped himself heavily onto his bed. After a night of sleep, he would know what to do.

It was business that brought him to Central City, but it was the pulsing heat of anticipation that had him wandering the city, looking for her.

Every turned corner left him breathless with anticipation, eager to see the woman that he wasn't sure he even wanted to see. The last few weeks had been brutal, filled with memories and an agonizing war between his past lives and his current one. Khufu burned for Chay-Ara. Ached for her with a blistering wave of want that caused him to feel ill. Carter, however, found himself half in love with a memory that he wasn't sure he believed in.

Currently, he was having a hard time reconciling the fact that he was in love with a memory. That he had lived many lives before this and would live many after this- but she would always be his common denominator. He knew that he had to find her- if only to warn her that Vandal Savage would be after her soon. Part of him had resolved himself to this meeting, but the other part of him rebelled at the thought of seeing her at all.

After his last business meeting, he had wandered through the city, his legs pulling him towards the local coffee chain, _Jitters_. As his fingers gripped the door handle, his heart had seized in a dizzying dance of nervous excitement. Entering the coffee shop, his skin danced with awareness.

 _She_ was here.

Dragging himself to the counter he noticed her. Her hair was haphazardly thrown into a messy bun- held together with a pencil, which she absentmindedly bit her lush lower lip. Her brow was furrowed as she poured coffee into a to-go cup, her feet walking her towards a customer with their order. _A barista_ , Carter thought idly, _in this life she is a barista_. Watching her smile brilliantly at the customer, Carter felt himself walking closer. He was drawn to her, a helpless moth to her astounding flame.

"I'll be right with you sir, I just need to ring this order out."

Her voice was beautiful- a gorgeous timbre to his hungry ears. He stared, openly, devouring the sight of her. Her Beatles shirt stretched across the soft swell of her breasts, her lean legs covered by jeans that showed off her perfect ass. What made him chuckle, however, were the converses that encased her feet. His mouth dried as he stared, his mind racing with the many different paths he could choose. Stilling, he knew without hesitation that there was only one path that he wanted to take.

He wanted to fall in love with _this_ Kendra. To lose himself in her. To begin their new lives together for however long they could have them.

When she whirled around to face him, her brown eyes crinkled at the corner, her smile polite and beautiful, "Welcome to Jitters, what can I get for you?"

Desperate to kiss her, he shook his head slightly before opening and closing his mouth. Struck dumb, he stared again, helpless to answer her.

She cocked her head slightly, staring at him with a slight blush. Her fingers instantly began tapping on the counter, a nervous habit she had picked up in the 30's.

"We have a great pumpkin spice latte- although you look like the type of guy who prefers…black coffee?"

Plastering on his most charming smile, he nodded, "I do prefer my coffee black. I'm sorry about earlier…I just…I feel like I know you."

She smiled, "I think I have a familiar face…but I do need to admit, your face looks familiar to me too. Maybe we knew each other in a past life."

Carter raised an eyebrow, wondering whether she recognized him.

"I'm Carter."

"Kendra."

They shook hands, a current of electricity sweeping between their joined hands. Kendra dropped his hand first, gasping slightly before raising her eyes to study him.

"You sure we don't know each other?" Carter's voice was teasing but laced with an undercurrent of seriousness.

Wordlessly, she poured his coffee into a to-go cup and stared at him. Shaking her head slightly, she put a nervous smile on her face and lightly said, "No, Carter, I'm sorry…I don't know you. I just moved to Central City. I don't really know anyone."

Not wanting to scare her, he nodded and said, "It's nice to meet you Kendra. I'm just visiting from New York."

She immediately warmed at the mention of New York, "I've always wanted to go there. I've always dreamed of being a big Broadway singer."

Flushing at the thought of her gorgeous voice, he nodded, "You should always try to accomplish your dreams, Kendra. You only have one life, after all."

Blushing, she nodded and lingered in front of him- obviously not sure why she had divulged so much information to him.

"I know this is strange but…I just feel like I know you."

"I know the feeling," grinning, Carter took the drink from her, his fingertips brushing lightly over hers, "would I be able to tempt you into getting dinner with me?"

Kendra bit her lip before shaking her head, "I'm…seeing someone. It's new but I don't want to ruin a good thing."

Carter felt a warm rush of jealously. _Seeing someone_?

"I understand. It was wonderful to meet you, Kendra," Carter stared at her again, drinking in the freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose and the mess of curls cascading from her bun.

"You too, Carter. Your coffee is on the house." Smiling, she turned to the next customer, but not before throwing another curious look at him. Forcing himself to leave the coffee house, he willed his heart to slow its ferocious rhythm.

He had found her.

Three days of obsessing over his reincarnated lover later, he sensed Vandal Savage in Central City. He felt his presence like a knife through his heart- an agonizing awareness that danger was close. He felt torn over whether or not to confront Kendra about their past- eventually deciding he would watch over her from a distance until he needed to intervene. During those three days, his armor revealed itself to him. It had been on a run through the city- a desperate ploy to distract himself from the memory of Kendra's smile. Around mile eight, he had felt pulled into the basement of an abandoned warehouse.

There, he found the chest with his armor and his mace. Picking his helmet up, he saw Kendra's armor lining the bottom of the chest. The discovery had felt like a sign that it was time to talk to her- to tell her about their past and keep her safe from danger. He knew that she was vulnerable without her memories- but also knew that Savage preferred to kill them once they had finally reunited.

Grasping the trunk, he heaved it up and carried it back to his hotel. Eagerly, he began to plan how to reveal himself to Kendra.


	2. In Case You Didn't Know

In Case You Didn't Know…

Schythian watched with impatient detachment as Kendra busied herself around his cell. She had brought a blanket in during the night, draping it gently over his shoulders, her fingertips brushing the skin of his neck tenderly- with a care that left him shivering. She had kept her distance after that touch, obviously having learned her lesson from the first time that he had left her incapacitated and writhing on the floor under his boots. Amusement made the corner of his mouth twitch. Kendra's pleas to be let up had only made him hate her more and he knew then that Savage had been right about her. She was dangerous.

Her lover had been irate upon freeing her, punching him savagely in the jaw, and had cradled Kendra tenderly until Schythian's gut had twisted in bitter unease. A flicker of awareness crawled down his spine when he watched the taller man cradle her so lovingly. Lunging towards them in that moment had had little to do with hatred.

She wouldn't leave though- despite his countless threats to disembowel her or bludgeon her the moment that Savage demanded it of him. Still, he knew that the threats had made their mark on her heart. Every time he offered a quick death, a merciful death, her eyes had been pained- agonized in a way that haunted him. The tentative smile she kept offering him made him want to shake her. They were enemies- in this lifetime and the next.

The melody that she was softly humming to herself was slowly driving him mad, though he was quite sure that was exactly the intended effect. He shook his head, desperate to clear the familiar tune out of his head. A dull ache was forming in his head, a pounding that was demanding attention.

"You need to stop that," the words were meant to have a venom attached to them but he realized, tiredly, that he couldn't muster it.

"I'm sorry, Cart-Schythian. I didn't mean to bother you. I just…I hum when I'm nervous. I think I adopted that nervous habit while you were away in 1945. Ship welding could be quite boring and I was so anxious thinking about something other than Savage tearing us apart."

Schythian watched her, his brain pulsing at the information, a wisp of something passing through his mind before it dissipated into nothingness.

"That song…the one I was humming…you taught it to me. When you were Carter. You…He developed an affinity for country music in this lifetime. I teased you about it but after you… _he_ died…I found the song beautiful. I listened to it when I missed him."

Kendra ran a shaky hand through her hair and smiled at him, her teeth busying her lip for a moment before burying her hands in her pocket. Schythian's skin seemed to become alive with awareness as she hugged her arms around her middle. The dull ache in his head became a furious roar, almost primal in its ferocious beat.

"Normally…you ascend before I do. We've lived four thousand years and in every one of our lifetimes together, you've helped me to fall hopelessly in love with you. When you were Carter…I was…I was too afraid. I was afraid to love you because I thought it took away all of my options. I thought that loving you put me in a box that I couldn't escape. The moment I lost Carter was the moment I realized that you were my _only_ choice. You are the other half of my soul. The other half of my being. No one else will ever fill that void in my heart. Remembering our lifetimes without you by my side has been torturous because I knew I let you leave your last life without knowing how I felt," tears welled up in Kendra's ochre eyes before she impatiently batted them away.

"I love you, Carter...Schythian…whoever you are and whoever you will be. I will love you in every life time that we find each other in. Forever. But I know that I've been gone for too long- that our lives have been erased by Savage. I think…I think I'm going to let you go. I'm happy with Ray. Maybe you can be happy with someone else too. Maybe our next life will have more happiness than his one."

Schythian felt the blood pounding in his ears, creating a sort of white noise that caused his blood to boil. _Who did she think she was?_

"I'm not this Carter person. I am Schythian Torvil. I am a soldier. Your tears are meaningless, your _words_ are meaningless. I will watch the _life_ drain out of your eyes and present your body to Savage. I swear I will."

Kendra gasped quietly, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. The words had the same effect as a physical blow. Tears spilled down her caramel cheeks as her wings flared out behind her.

"Then I've truly lost you."

She turned, quietly retreating to the door and letting it slide noiselessly shut behind her.

It wasn't until much, much later that Schythian remembered the shining ring on her finger and felt bile flood his throat.

Savage ripped Kendra out of Schythian's arms, his arms banding themselves tightly against her throat until her lips were turning blue.

"My love, I hate that it always comes to this," the grin on his Savage's face was twisted with disgusted excitement, "I will see you in the next life, Chay-Ara. I will follow you forever, until this world ends and we are forced into the next one."

Kendra's body started to become lax, her hands fumbling with lethargic confusion as she tried to struggle against Savage's grip. Schythian watched her a growing sense of dread as Kendra's eyes wildly found him, silently sending him a message that made him sick to think about.

 _I love you_ , her eyes screamed, _I forgive you._

Agonizing pain shot through his head as the scene unfurled before him. Memory after memory sliced through his conscious, flooding him with scenes of Kendra, of _Chay-Ara_ , of Edith, of every incarnation of the woman before him- loving him, caring for him, dying for him. His mind filled itself to the brim with the memory of her smooth skin beneath his fingers, the taste of her lips, and the smell of her hair. His heart squeezed remembering her words from earlier, her promises of letting him go, of a lifetime of missed opportunity. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he felt his wings explode out of his back, and suddenly, her name was ripped from his lips.

"KENDRA!"

Vigor coursed through every cell of his body- renewed purpose singing through his veins. He was Prince Khufu and she was Priestess Chay-Ara. Their love had projected them through centuries, had brought them together over and over again.

Rage caused him to attack Savage, his fists slamming into Vandal's face, a grim smile spreading across his face as blood spewed from Vandal's mouth. Savage fought back, an amused and evil glee erasing any façade at bitter regret that he had been posturing. Their bodies circled each other, Schythian losing himself to the rage at being kept from his soulmate for so many life times. It was then that Savage lunged and Kendra screamed his name, "CARTER!"

His name on her lips was the last thing he remembered as he watched her lunging at Savage.

"Ray, what are you doing here?" the soft lull of Kendra's voice became the anchor that Schythian sorely needed to pull himself out of the darkness. He focused on it, trying desperately to ignore the burning pain in his abdomen.

"I just wanted to see if he was ok."

"Ray…I…"

"Kendra, it's ok. You don't have to say anything else. In fact, I do. Thank you. Thank you for showing me that I was capable of loving someone, of wanting to spend the rest of my life with someone. After Anna died, I didn't think I was ever going to feel that way about someone again. Then, you flew into my life and…I loved you so completely. In a way, I think a broken heart is just what the doctor ordered."

The conversation made him groan softly, his mind sending him a barrage of new memories, memories that were rife with heartbreak.

" _Kendra, baby, it's ok. You're going to be ok. I promise you, if you just stay with me…we'll get you help. I'll get the doctor. It will be ok."_

 _Carter rocked Kendra's still frame on the floor of their Kentucky home, her shirt growing sticky with her blood. Dry sobs racked through his solid frame as he pushed her chocolate waves out of her eyes. When the last whisper of a breath escaped her body, Carter screamed in agony. Why were they expected to endure such heart ache in order to be together? Why did Horus damn them to lose each other time and time again? Carter cupped her hand in his- pressing a soft kiss to it and holding it to his face. Her normal warmth was gone- her soft lavender smell was gone. SHE was gone. A soft glint just beyond her frame caught his eye. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed the simple engagement ring that he had scrimped and saved to buy her. Savage had obviously wrestled it off her hand and Kendra, ever the sentimental romantic, had tried to get it back._

" _I will find you, my love. I promise. In this life and the next. Please wait for me."_

 _Pressing a kiss to Kendra's head, he had laid her body on the floor of their house and surveyed the scene around him. Savage could not have gotten far with his lynch mob. If he moved quickly, he could track them to the river and hopefully surprise Savage long enough to kill him. If not…well, if not, at least he would be with Kendra in the next life._

"Cart-Schythian? Are you ok? I can see if Gideon can give you more pain meds. I hear you groaning," soft hands pressed themselves against Schythian's face, caressing his gently. He tried to pry his eyes apart in order to look at her, but found himself too exhausted to comply.

"Come back to me, Carter. Please come back to me. I love you."

Gingerly, his eyes came apart and her face slid into focus. Her hesitant smile made his heart flutter slightly within his chest.

"Hi," the words were so minimal, so insignificant in the wake of what was truly needed to fill the space between them that he choked on a laugh.

"Kendra…I…"

"I missed you."


End file.
